Use Recraft in OpenClaw.
Recraft provides crisp neural image upscaling that recovers fine detail without artifacts, and precise background removal that preserves hair strands and transparent edges. OpenClaw agents call both endpoints through the same RunAPI key used for chat — send a source image URL, choose upscale or background removal, and poll for the processed result.
Use RunAPI to upscale an image with Recraft crisp upscale.
Requirements:
- Use the RUNAPI_API_KEY environment variable for authentication.
- Call the RunAPI upscale_image endpoint at https://runapi.ai/api/v1/recraft/upscale_image.
- Set model to "recraft-crisp-upscale".
- Pass the source image URL in source_image_url.
- The response returns a task_id. Poll the task status endpoint until the task completes, then retrieve the upscaled image URL from the result.
- For background removal, call /api/v1/recraft/remove_background with model "recraft-remove-background" instead.
curl -X POST https://runapi.ai/api/v1/recraft/upscale_image \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $RUNAPI_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"model": "recraft-crisp-upscale",
"source_image_url": "https://example.com/product-photo.jpg"
}'
{
"task_id": "tsk_abc123",
"status": "pending",
"model": "recraft-crisp-upscale"
}
Use Recraft in OpenClaw in three steps
Configure RunAPI
If you have not set up RunAPI in OpenClaw yet, follow the OpenClaw setup guide. Set the RUNAPI_API_KEY environment variable and add RunAPI as an OpenAI-compatible provider with baseUrl https://runapi.ai/v1.
export RUNAPI_API_KEY=runapi_xxx
Call Recraft upscale or remove background
Send a POST request to the upscale_image endpoint with model set to recraft-crisp-upscale and provide the source_image_url. For background removal, POST to the remove_background endpoint with model recraft-remove-background instead. Both require only source_image_url.
POST /api/v1/recraft/upscale_image
Poll for the result
Both endpoints return a task_id with status pending. Poll the task status endpoint until the status changes to completed, then retrieve the processed image URL from the response. RunAPI SDKs and the CLI handle polling automatically.
GET /api/v1/recraft/upscale_image/tsk_abc123
Recraft API parameters
| Parameter | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
model |
string |
Required. recraft-crisp-upscale for upscaling, recraft-remove-background for background removal. |
source_image_url |
string |
Required. URL of the source image to process. |
callback_url |
string |
Optional. Webhook URL for async completion notification. |
What is Recraft on OpenClaw?
Recraft is the image processing model from the team that beat Midjourney on the ELO leaderboard. On RunAPI it provides two post-processing capabilities -- crisp neural upscaling that recovers fine detail, and background removal that cleanly handles hair strands and transparent edges. Users note the results can be impressive when they work, though the AI responses can be unpredictable across different image types. OpenClaw agents call both endpoints through the same RunAPI key.
Recraft use cases
Product photo isolation
Remove backgrounds from product photos for clean e-commerce listings, with edge detection that handles hair, fur, and transparent materials without manual masking.
Logo and brand asset upscaling
Upscale low-resolution logo files and brand assets to production quality for print materials, preserving clean edges on vector-style graphics.
Client project image processing
Process batches of images for client projects -- background removal for compositing, upscaling for print -- through the API rather than manual Photoshop work.
Recraft + OpenClaw questions
Yes. Both endpoints are stateless and accept standard image URLs. Instruct the OpenClaw agent to first call remove_background with the original image, then pass the output URL to upscale_image. The same RUNAPI_API_KEY handles both calls.
Recraft accepts JPEG, PNG, and WebP inputs. Background removal outputs PNG with alpha transparency. Upscale output matches the input format.
Both use neural networks, but Recraft crisp upscale is optimized for clean edge recovery on design assets and product photos with lower per-task cost. Topaz offers configurable 2x/4x/8x scale factors and is better suited for photographic detail at extreme enlargements. Both are async and share the same RunAPI key.
Both Recraft endpoints are async. The API returns a task_id immediately. Poll the task status endpoint until the result is ready. RunAPI SDKs and the CLI handle polling automatically.
Recraft uses per-task billing — upscaling and background removal are priced separately per image processed. Check the RunAPI pricing page for current rates. No subscription or minimum spend required.
OpenClaw general setup
Not configured yet? Start with the RunAPI setup guide for OpenClaw.
OpenClaw setup guide →Try Recraft in OpenClaw today.
Get a free RunAPI key, paste the prompt into OpenClaw, and start upscaling images and removing backgrounds with Recraft.